The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 554

Still nothing is more frequent th11.n for e11.int.~ to forget God, 11.n.d turn to 11.lmost every other qu11.rter before they seek unto him (Isa. Ii. 13), though one princip11.l end or affliction is to impel men to seek unto him who alone can put a new song into their mouths. 8. Forgetting IM st1,perior dignity q/ his nature. Simply to howl over one's miseries, Elibu intends to say, is to reduce one's self to the level of the brute oreation, which expreAs their natural sense of pain by meam of such bellowings (oh. vi, 6). But me.n belongs to an order of creation loftier tbe.n the wild 688 or the ox; and, being posRe!ll!ed of nobler faculties and larger intelligence than these, should not be cont.eat with such modes of giving utterance to emotion 68 are shared in by them, but should address himself to God in the filial confidence of prayer, And to this the example of the beasts, viewed in another light, may be said to urge him. Another rendering supplies the thought that God "teacheth us by the beasts or the earth "-by the young lions, e.g., who roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God (Ps. civ. 21); "and maketh us wise hy the fowls of heaven "-for instance, by the ravens who cry to God for food (Pa. cxlvii. 9). 4. O.ffe,·i1rig prayers that spring from vanity anli r,ri<J,e. "There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men, Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it" (vers. 12, 13), Again under the general case Elihu deals with the C68e of Job. Job had repeatedly complained that his prayer had not been answered (eh. xix. 7; xxx. 20). Elihu indirectly meets his objection by explaining why the prayers of sufferers in general remain nnheard. They are not prayers in the proper sense of the expression, being dictated by wounded pride rather than by conscious need, and consisting of emptiness and wind, mere "sound and fury signifying nothing," ratheri_than the aspirations and desires of a believing heart. It is impossible to resist the impression that Job's outcries and entreaties were sometimes inspired by lacerated pride and insulted vanity rather than by lowly humility and fervent piety. Hence they were puffered to ring through the vault of heaven unheeded. So are all similar prayers by whomsoever presented (Ps. l.xvi. 18; Isa. i 15; Prov. xxviii. 9; John ix. 31; Jas. iv. 3). A prayer, to be acceptable, must be sincere, lowly, reverent, and devout. 6. Supposing God di,d, not ,11nderstand his case. This an extremely natural inference from the oft-reiterated demand that God woulJ permit Job to lay his cause before him. But Elihu assures him that this was quite unnecessary; that, although he did not, and apparently could not, see God, i.e. come to God's presence (eh. xxiii. ~9), the whole case he wished to submit to God was already before him, and all he (Job) needed to do was simply to wait for God's gracious intervention (ver. 14)-words suggestive of (1) a great temptation to which suffering saints are not seldom exposed, viz. a temptation to despond of Divine succour and Divine favour, like Job himself (eh. xxiii. 3), like David (Ps. xiii 6), Asaph (Ps. l.xxvii. 7-9), Heman (Ps. lxx.xviii. 6), Jonah (ii. 4), and others ; (2) a great consolation which all desponding and despairing ones may cling to, viz. that God perfectly understands their case in all its minutest details, as he knew the cases of Job (eh. x.xiii. 10), Hagar (Gen. xvi. 13), and Israel (Exod. iii. 7); and (3) a great duty which is equally incumbent on all, to wait patiently on God till he is pleased to come with deliverance and favour (Ps. lxil. 5; Lam. iii. 26; Micah vii. 7; Hab. ii 3). 6. Misimproving the IJivine clemency. Understanding Elibu to say, "A.nd now, because he," i.e. God, "does not visit" (i.e. hostilely, in the seuse of punishing) "his," i.e. Job's, "anger, and does not know" (in the sense of regarding or ta.king notice of) "his wickedness or pride greatly; therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain, he multiplieth words without knowledge" (vers. 15, 16), the meaning is that Job's sufferings have not been severe enough, and that the Divine clew<:ncy in dealing sparingly with Job has only been recompensed by the continuo.tion a1,d manifestation in Job of a rebellions and refractory spirit. Learn: 1. That God's servants ought to cry aloud and spare not in exposing the wickedness of men, whether saints or sinners. 2. 'l'hat it is of great advantage when a faithful reprover can particularly specify the sin which he condemns. 3. 'fbat men's words commonly afford a good index to the state of their hearts. 4. That by the quality of their speech shall men eventually be either acquitted or condemned. 6. 'l'hat preachers of the gospel should ever, like Elihu, he able to defend as well 88 recolllmen.d the faith which they proclaim. 6. '!'hat God is not too high to bless man, thougkl h8 is certainly too exalted to be injured by man. 7. '!'hat while man can t!H. ux'v. 1-18,1 TB'.E BOOK OF JOB. 569